Re-embodying Pastoral Theology

With the dominance of psychotherapeutic theories and methods in the field of pastoral theology, the typical pastoral encounter has been understood to be a private conference in which a pastor addresses a sufferer's thoughts and emotions. What results is a kind of dualism that is contrary to a historically Christian affirmation of-and concern for-the body. The phenomenon of moral injury further problematizes this model of pastoral care in part due to a greater awareness that trauma is imprinted as much in the body as in the mind. Re-embodying Pastoral Theology uses the problem of moral injury in veterans to propose a pastoral theology that recognizes ritual as the means by which the Christian community addresses the body in pastoral care. In advancing this new approach to "e;ritual care,"e; the author draws from the fields of psychology, ritual studies, liturgical studies, and historical theology, as well as the experiences of veterans throughout history. This book endeavors to re-think the Christian approach to moral injury and re-embody the field of pastoral theology.